Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust Grants support innovative research and learning opportunities at Iowa State University

AMES, Iowa – A trio of grants by the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust of Muscatine, Iowa, will further advance areas at Iowa State University. These projects build upon others previously benefiting from Carver Trust support, demonstrating both its commitment to Iowa State over the long term and to advancing scientific knowledge to improve human health and strengthening innovative learning opportunities for students throughout Iowa.

A $745,545 grant from the Carver Trust is already at work in the construction of the new zebrafish research facility in the Advanced Teaching and Research Building on campus. The Carver Trust has previously invested in the basic research of Jeff Essner, professor, and Maura McGrail, associate professor, of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology. Essner and McGrail will oversee the research facility, which replaces an aging zebrafish space with a state-of-the-art zebrafish system large enough to expand current research directions and collaborations at Iowa State and beyond. The facility will support Essner’s and McGrail’s gene-editing research and allow the pursuit of exciting new grant opportunities using the zebrafish model.

“The zebrafish model provides a simple yet powerful system to investigate human disease,” Essner explained. “Dr. McGrail and I have developed cutting-edge gene-editing methods to identify therapeutic genes in zebrafish, and applied this knowledge to large animal models, with improving human health the ultimate goal. This is the optimal time for the Carver Trust to make an investment to further develop Iowa State’s zebrafish research facility, and we are extremely grateful for its support.”

In addition, the Carver Trust has committed $200,000 to support renovations that will transform Parks Library’s first floor into a hub for student services, while expanding collaboration and study space. Previously, Carver Trust grants supported three projects in Parks Library: the ground-floor Learning Connections Center and within it the Learning Connections Multimedia Classroom, and a new instructional facility for special collections and preservation needs on the fourth floor. According to Beth McNeil, dean of Library Services, the current grant will “ensure the library remains relevant to students in a digital era and continues to be the center of an active academic and research community. We thank the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust for helping bring the library closer to its ultimate vision for a 21st century library that serves all stakeholders within this exciting research university.”

Lastly, a $161,290 grant from the Carver Trust will support core facility instrumentation in the Office of Biotechnology with the acquisition of a wavelength-dispersive (WD) spectrometer. The WD spectrometer will enable Iowa State to expand its materials characterization capabilities, benefiting numerous research teams such as those seeking to improve the safety and performance of buildings, vehicles, computers, medical implants and other materials science innovations. The WD spectrometer dramatically expands the capabilities of the scanning electron microscope purchased in 2010 with assistance from the Carver Trust.

The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust in Muscatine, Iowa, is one of the largest private philanthropic foundations in the state of Iowa, with assets of more than $310 million and annual grant distributions of nearly $16 million. It was created through the will of Roy J. Carver, a Muscatine industrialist and philanthropist, who died in 1981.

The Iowa State University Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization committed to securing and managing gifts that benefit Iowa State University. The Forever True, For Iowa State campaign, with a historic goal to raise $1.5 billion, will help support Iowa State in becoming the premier land-grant university for the 21st century and beyond.

Contacts:
Elaine Watkins-Miller, Communications, Iowa State University Foundation , 515.294.1005, ewmiller@foundation.iastate.edu

February 11, 2019